George, we’ve chartered the Sunsail 445, Moorings 4000, and 4500. All great boats with wonderful features. 4500 with water maker and ice maker was the bomb!

Individual AC controls will be nice as not all pax have the same climate preferences while sleeping. And these days, all returning cruisers are requiring AC and all the amenities.

I’ve been lusting after the 5000 since she was announced; likely late 2020 charter for us once the window opens.

Nice blog at http://svhappytogether.com/ about their new fully tricked out Leopard 5000, though it doesn’t have the sun deck. 800k base, 1.3M total!

Of course, we’ve always found that you probably only spend 4 to 5 hours under way, and ~ 20 hours at anchor/dock/mooring - so the amenities typically win out over the sailing characteristics. But I love the way Leopards have all lines to the helm, power winches (2 in newest models) etc.


Last edited by jphart; 09/18/2019 08:47 PM.